Educational Science

Daylight Saving Time Ends Sunday (So You Get 1 More Hour of Sleep)

This Sunday, people across the United States can rest easy, literally, as they'll get an extra hour of sleep because daylight saving time comes to an end. The change happens at 2 a.m. local daylight time on Nov. 3. While most wireless devices will fall back on their own, it's...

The Fascinating History of Crisco, the Famous Tub of 'Lard'

Perhaps you'll unearth a can of Crisco for the holiday baking season. If so, you'll be one of millions of Americans who have, for generations, used it to make cookies, cakes, pie crusts and more. But for all Crisco's popularity, what exactly is that thick, white substance in the can?...

Convergent evolution is when different organisms independently evolve similar traits. For example, sharks and dolphins look relatively similar despite being entirely unrelated. Sharks are egg-laying fish with the deadly ability to sniff out blood in the water, while dolphins are curious mammals that navigate by making clicking sounds and listening...

An Ancient Egyptian Physician Cited As the 'First Woman Doctor' Likely Never Existed

Merit Ptah was an ancient Egyptian physician, often revered as the world's first female doctor. She was thought to live nearly 5,000 years ago...but she likely never existed, according to new findings. Merit Ptah was everywhere, from online posts about women in STEM and popular history books to computer games,...

What Was the Black Death?

The Black Death of the 14th century is well known. When historians discuss the plague they are usually referring to this epidemic of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. In his book, The Black Death, 1346-1353: The Complete History (Boydell Press, 2018), Ole Jørgen Benedictow estimates that 50-60%...

Take That Back: The Top Scientific Retractions of 2019

If it disagrees with experiment, it's wrong. That's all there is to it. So said famed physicist Richard Feynman at a lecture about the scientific method at Cornell University in 1964. Feynman appears to be only half correct, though. Yes, one's proposed theory is wrong if it doesn't agree with...

Why Do We Have Fingerprints?

In 1910, Thomas Jennings fled a murder scene, but he left behind a clue that would seal his fate: a perfect impression of his fingerprints in the drying paint of a railing, outside the house where he'd committed the crime. Jennings' fingerprints were the first ever to be used as...

The Decade in Astronomy: These Space Discoveries Shaped the 2010s

As the 2010s come to a close, it's time to revisit how some of the biggest space science stories shaped the decade. From the rise of TESS to flybys of Pluto and Cassini's dramatic demise, the past ten years have produced some incredible science. Here are some of our favorite...

12 Times Science Proved the World Is Amazing in 2019

The world saw plenty of sad, angry and downright catastrophic news this year. But a river of heartwarming, amazing discoveries also flooded in this year, from tardigrades on the moon (lunar water bears?!) to jewel-like lakes under Greenland to a trippy wonderland of hydrothermal vents. Here’s a look at the...

Boeing's Starliner Won't Reach Space Station, NASA Chief Says

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Boeing's Starliner astronaut taxi suffered an anomaly today (Dec. 20) during its flight to the International Space Station during the Orbital Flight Test (OFT) mission. About 90 minutes after blastoff, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said on Twitter that the capsule will not be able to reach...